16527

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Tuesday 23 June 2009

______

The Speaker (The Hon. George Richard Torbay) took the chair at 1.00 p.m.

The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country.

AUDITOR-GENERAL'S REPORT

The Speaker tabled, pursuant to section 38E of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, the performance audit report of the Auditor-General entitled "Tackling Cancer with Radiotherapy: NSW Department of Health", dated June 2009.

Ordered to be printed.

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Notices of Motions

General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given.

General Business Notices of Motions (for Bills) given, by leave.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

Question—That private members' statements be noted—proposed.

LIFE WITHOUT BARRIERS CALMING GARDEN

Mr DAVID HARRIS (Wyong) [1.09 p.m.]: Life Without Barriers is a not-for-profit organisation with branches all over Australia. Its mission is to provide innovative, community-based support services to people with disabilities, mental illness or families in crisis. Today I speak about the wonderful work of the Life Without Barriers day program in Alison Road, Wyong, which supports young adults with disabilities. Sharon Spicer, the coordinator of the day program, is constantly working with the carers with great success to organise activities and courses for their clients. On 27 May I was honoured to attend the opening of one of these fantastic programs, the Calming Garden, which was constructed in the grounds of the centre. The opening ceremony celebrated the work of the 12 young adults and their carers who, over a 10-week period, worked together to create a wonderful garden. More than 70 people attended the opening ceremony; not even the rain on the day could dampen the pride and excitement of all the participants.

The project was funded by a grant from New South Wales Adult and Community Education, and was applied for by Tuggerah Lakes Community College. Sharon Spicer spoke highly of Andrea Cinge and her team from Tuggerah Lakes Community College, and is grateful for their continuing association with her Life Without Barriers day program. In Sharon's words, "Such a wonderful garden could not have occurred without their support." The grant allowed Ian Sutton, a tutor from the college, to attend the day program once a week and work with the clients, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to develop the garden from scratch. The clients were not only taught the basics of planting, growing and caring for a variety of plants and vegetables; they were also instructed in occupational health and safety issues.

One of the carers, Gail Santi, was impressed by how enthusiastic the clients were and commented that they are now keen to share their acquired knowledge and to demonstrate the correct way to hold or use the equipment. I will mention all the clients who were involved in making the garden and congratulate them on their great achievement. These are the names of the Barriers' Gang, as they nicknamed themselves. Congratulations to Kim Baldwin-Hayes, Nicole Bryant, Chayce Collins, Melissa Cooney, Damien Dunne, Raelene Doran, Brad Flannagan, Clinton Jones, Joel Newton, Deboraha Ward, Sarah White and Chris Williams. I had the pleasure of working with Damien Dunne and Chris Williams when I was the Deputy Principal at Northlakes Public School.

16528 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 23 June 2009

Damien and Chris were part of the special unit at that school. In those days they were 10 or 11 years old. It was great to see them now as young adults involving themselves in such a fantastic program. The program was particularly impressive because five of the clients achieved certificate I in conservation and land management at the end of the 10 weeks. The name of this course inspired the name chosen for the garden, the Calming Garden.

I am reminded at this point of the Chinese proverb, "If you want to be happy for life, plant a garden." How great it is that these young adults have been given such a positive experience. Sharon Spicer commented that the clients have gone on to create their own gardens at home and are actively maintaining the centre's garden through ongoing programs. They are even using the produce from the vegetable section in their cooking activities. I was impressed with their scarecrow, which was of a high quality. I am sure it would have assisted in scaring away any vermin that tried to attack the garden. Damien, Chris and I had our photograph taken in front of the scarecrow; they had the biggest smiles on their faces that one would ever see. They also told me how they found the clothes to dress the scarecrow, which I will not detail here. They were very proud of their efforts.

Sharon Spicer acknowledged the amazing support of all the parents, friends and representatives from Break Thru Employment Solutions, who also attended the opening ceremony, during which $300 was raised for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. The benefits of this and other programs organised by Life Without Barriers are wide reaching and truly demonstrate the philosophy the organisation subscribes to: Positive, healthy relationships are essential for people in care to feel safe and have an opportunity to improve their lives. I congratulate Life Without Barriers day program and wish all the clients, workers and carers well in their future endeavours. May their garden continue to deliver for many years to come.

KARONGA SCHOOL

Mr GREG SMITH (Epping) [1.14 p.m.]: Karonga School at Epping, which serves the whole of Sydney, is a place with courageous teachers, staff and parents fighting for students with disabilities against all sorts of problems. Karonga School was originally started by a group of parents concerned about the inequity of no schooling for their children with multiple disabilities. The parents funded and built F block in 1967 on land given by the then Department of Education. The building was not built to any departmental building standards and was never designed to house students with severe physical disabilities or challenging behaviours, as it does now. In 1979 the department finally purchased the school buildings, including F block, having taken over responsibility for the delivery of education programs to the students in 1975.

Problems with the maintenance of F block have been documented as far back as 1997. The layout and condition of the building are not meeting the needs of the students and staff. The building design and condition are resulting in an increased risk of accidents—it leaks like a sieve whenever it rains—loss of educational opportunities, physical development opportunities and personal dignity, and the building poses potential health risks. If an ordinary school building for students without disabilities was in such poor condition and as inadequate at providing for the needs of students it would have been fixed by the department years ago. Because Karonga is such a small school—it has only 64 students—the department continues to offer bandaid solutions at best.

The current outstanding maintenance issues include subsiding floors; inadequate and failing roof guttering and downpipe systems; replacement of fabricated beam delaminating; external electrical wiring not in conduits; water flowing through light fittings whenever it rains; damage in classrooms from rainwater and smelly carpets as they dry out; uninhabitable visual auditory tactile sensory room due to water damage and ongoing damp problems; damp problems in two rooms, practically uninhabitable, as a result of significant rain damage; rotting wooden window frames; and doors too heavy for door frames, requiring replacement of all doors or all frames. F block has had three new roofs over the past 10 years, and another is required now. Maintenance expenditure is about $10,000 per year from the general school fund, predominantly due to significant maintenance issues inadequately addressed.

There are design problems. The classrooms are too small for the multiple equipment needs of students with mobility problems. There are no appropriate storage areas for student equipment. The classroom size increases the risk of injuries to students with challenging behaviours. There are no suitable time-out areas for students with challenging behaviours. I have been to the school and I have seen a number of students who have challenging behaviours. The building's winding corridor increases the risk of injury when directing students with mobility difficulties and students with challenging behaviours. The bathroom areas are too small for effective management of students with mobility issues. The bathroom size and layout provide no privacy for students, resulting in a loss of personal dignity. There is extensive glass in classrooms, which is distracting to 23 June 2009 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 16529

students and reduces their educational outcomes. The school's parents and citizens association is appalled that history is repeating itself and children with multiple disabilities are again being disadvantaged because of the New South Wales Labor Government's lack of desire to support and nurture them as it does students in mainstream schools.

The parents and citizens association maintains that the Department of Education and Training needs to take action immediately. The department should rapidly commence a new purpose-built building, as it has done at other special schools, or provide an alternative comprehensive solution. The school has had visits from all the top Labor politicians. Maxine McKew and the Prime Minister's wife, Therese Rein, visited the school recently, as did the Minister for Education and Training. With all this talk of money being given to schools by the Federal Government, Karonga received only $850,000. However, it needs $3 million for a new building. These children have multiple, severe disabilities. They probably should not be at the school. Fifteen buses are required to take them to and from the school each day. It is a disgrace. I urge the Government to spend some money to save this school.

Ms ANGELA D'AMORE (Drummoyne—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.19 p.m.]: I thank the member for Epping for drawing attention to this wonderful school in his electorate that takes care of children with disabilities. The story about the parents starting the school in 1967 and then the department eventually taking it over is fantastic. I hear the concerns that the member has put on the record today. I note that he said that $850,000 has been received by the school but close to $3 million is needed to progress the vision of the parents and citizens association, the school and the community.

We all know that the State and Federal budgets have allocated significant moneys for our local schools. The member for Epping has opportunities to make representations to both Ministers to ensure that this school receives the money that it needs. Lucas Gardens School at Five Dock in my electorate caters for those with disabilities and it has received substantial funding from the State and Federal governments. I am glad that the member is working closely with his parents and citizens association, and I hope that in the near future he and the association will be able to secure additional funds from both State and Federal governments to realise the vision that they have for the school. Although sometimes schools cannot receive the entire amount they need straightaway, projects can be staged so that the school eventually gets the upgrades that the children need.

CYBER BULLYING AND CYBER CRIME

Mr ALAN ASHTON (East Hills) [1.21 p.m.]: Yesterday I had the opportunity to address year 9 students at Condell Park High School on cyber bullying. I thank the Principal, Ms Susie Mobayed, for her assistance in arranging for the year 9 students to hear me and, more importantly, Senior Constable Denise Colls talk about the impact of cyber crime. Young people are vulnerable to Internet-related crime given their frequent use of the latest technologies. Teenagers today, including my daughters, are very smart in their use of mobile phones, Internet chat rooms and social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the like. It is a very different world for me with my moleskin diary.

I took delivery of my boysenberry, blueberry or BlackBerry—whatever it is called—last week and I am trying to learn how to use it. Students learn to use that sort of technology very quickly. This technology is very important and it has changed the way we communicate. What I am saying now can be streamed to the world. I know that thousands of people in my electorate would be watching me right now. I am sure that the same thing is happening in the Parliamentary Secretary's electorate, the member for Cessnock's electorate and in your electorate of The Entrance, Mr Assistant-Speaker. Years ago they had to wait for months to read what we said in this place.

Unfortunately, while this technology has great advantages, people have used mobile phones and computers to commit cyber crime and traditional crime. These technologies can also be used to groom victims to participate in inappropriate behaviour. Senior Constable Colls told the gathering about a young girl called Lauren who gave a classmate and friend access to her computer password. That so-called friend then impersonated Lauren and circulated damaging information throughout the school community that resulted in a tragic outcome. Such events can lead to depression, humiliation and suicide.

Mobile phones can provide useful information to the police because they can track what has happened and apprehend suspects. On the other hand, they can also be used to record totally inappropriate behaviour that is then circulated throughout the world on the Internet. The 15 minutes of fame experienced by the woman 16530 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 23 June 2009

involved in the Chk Chk Boom phenomenon is a good example of the power of the Internet. Apparently horse syndicates have offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to name a horse "Chk Chk Boom", which is the term the young woman used to fictitiously describe an event in Kings Cross.

I again thank the long-serving Principal of Condell Park High School, Ms Susie Mobayed. I also thank deputy principals Zena Dabaja and Ralph Moore, and relieving head teacher, welfare, Adam Wilson. They all attended the presentation on the effects of bullying and how students can avoid it. At worst, cyber bullying is a crime. What might seem to be fun to some people can be very harmful to the victim. As was pointed out, bullying at school is not uncommon. In days gone by, the bullying was personal and it was resolved in a couple of days. However, if it occurs on the worldwide web it cannot be stopped. I also congratulate and thank Jon Harding, the head teacher, administration, at the school, who works closely with school advisers to provide all kinds of welfare, not only with regard to traditional bullying but also cyber bullying. Condell Park High School has an excellent reputation. It has very detailed anti-racism policies and so on as part of the learning process.

I arrived at the school at 11.15 a.m. for the seminar at 11.30 a.m., and I did not leave until 3.00 p.m. Dare I say, it was déjà vu again: I am a former teacher. I also enjoyed the hospitality offered by Vicki Hristoudolou, who is the hospitality teacher, and her students, who provided a wonderful lunch for the visitors. I congratulate the school and thank Senior Constable Denise Colls for her presentation to the students.

Ms ANGELA D'AMORE (Drummoyne—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.26 p.m.]: I thank the member for East Hills for highlighting the cyber-bullying seminar that was held at Condell Park High School. We all know how important it is to educate our young students about cyber bullying, especially with regard to keeping their passwords private, and taking care with what they put on websites and on the Internet. A number of schools are holding these types of seminars. I encourage all members to hold them at their local schools. More importantly, a number of schools are also holding seminars for parents. Not only are we educating our young people about how to protect themselves in cyberspace but we are also helping their parents to understand cyber bullying and to protect their children. This fantastic State Government initiative is being rolled out throughout New South Wales to assist our young people. I look forward to seeing more schools participating in the program.

BELLHAVEN SPECIAL SCHOOL, YOUNG

Ms KATRINA HODGKINSON (Burrinjuck) [1.27 p.m.]: The Bellhaven Special School in Young is an independent school that provides an education to children with physical and intellectual disabilities and also students with challenging behaviours. The school currently has eight students enrolled from the ages of four to 20 whose disabilities range from moderate to severe. To support them the school has four teaching staff. The most disabled student at the school needs to be tube fed and have all personal care needs attended to by the staff. Another student also has very high care needs. After receiving tight but adequate funding from the State Government for years, Bellhaven has had a series of funding cuts over the past three years. These cuts were due to students leaving the school and the fact that the State Government provides funding only on a per-student basis. Bellhaven has reached the cut-off point at which it has become financially unviable.

The State Labor Government is refusing to take into account the need to maintain this front-line facility to provide education opportunities for disabled students in Young. Bellhaven needs an increase in recurrent funding of just $129,000 to continue operating. The majority of the students at Bellhaven are there for the good reason that Bellhaven is the only place in Young that can give them an education. Although some public schools in Young have special units for disabled children, they do not have the facilities or staff to enrol students with these levels of disability. I have received very strong representations from Stuart Freudenstein, the Mayor of Young, about the concerns of the greater community of Young about the future of the school.

The nearest facility capable of educating these students is the Elouera Special School at Cootamundra. If the students were to attend that school they would have to travel 94 kilometres a day. However, there is no suitable transport to get these students to Cootamundra. The students would probably have to catch a taxi, which would cost the State Government a minimum of $1,000 per child per week. Students would require three to six taxis, depending on whether they needed to be escorted. Each taxi would cost the Government in excess of $40,000, which means that the cost for six students to travel to Cootamundra would be a minimum of $120,000 and possibly up to $240,000 a year. The transport of the other two more disabled students would cost even more: At the per kilometre rate of up to $1.80 that taxis charges, this equates to $33,840 for each student for the 200 school days per year. The total cost of transporting these students to Cootamundra would be in excess of $187,000. 23 June 2009 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 16531

As we have come to expect, the State Labor Government is refusing to fund Bellhaven and by doing so it will inevitably incur additional costs of tens of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, this is the type of skewed thinking that we have come to expect from the State Labor Government. Dollars and cents cannot measure the personal cost of daily long distance travel. These are Young's students and Bellhaven Special School is located in Young. By refusing to fund the minimum amount of money guaranteed to keep this front-line service open, and these front-line jobs ongoing, the State Labor Government is, once again, breaking the commitment that the Premier has made so much noise about in the past few weeks. While I am talking about the Premi